Dental Treatment to Prevent Tooth Extraction

Suffering damage or trauma to a tooth can cause great anxiety and the fear that the only treatment option is extraction. Fortunately, depending on the extent of the damage or trauma, there are dental treatments can help save the tooth and avoid losing the tooth. Having a missing tooth or teeth can have a negative impact on a person’s confidence, chewing ability, teeth alignment and overall health, so it’s important to understand how to avoid tooth extraction whenever safely possible.

Root canals can save teeth

Having a root canal treatment is the top alternative to extracting a tooth. Also called endodontic treatment, a root canal treats the living pulp inside the tooth. Tooth pulp is the inner tissue consisting of blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues that provide nourishment to the tooth as it develops. In a fully-developed tooth, removing the pulp via a root canal has little or no effect because the tooth receives nourishment from supporting tissues.

A root canal may become necessary when cracks, chips, decay, dental procedures, faulty crowns or trauma trigger inflammations and infections in the tooth pulp. Treating the damaged tooth prevents further pain and potential abscess. During a root canal, the dentist removes inflamed or infected tooth pulp and then cleans, disinfects, shapes, fills and seals the hollow to prevent future infections. Following the root canal with a dental crown or filling placement helps restore tooth structure and function, and there’s a high probability the tooth can remain healthy for a lifetime with proper care.

Benefits of root canal treatment

Having a root canal prevents tooth extraction while restoring and protecting the health of your damaged or injured tooth. The treatment is non-surgical, common and safe. Additional ways to save a damaged tooth and avoid extraction include treating an infection with antibiotics, but this may not be effective as a root canal and delaying the proper treatment may increase the likelihood of tooth extraction. Patients who take painkillers to dull the pain of tooth damage risk the infection or inflammation growing worse and can eventually lead to tooth loss. Treating issues within the tooth pulp early is the best way to save a tooth. If tooth extraction becomes necessary, there are several replacement options available, but dentists prefer to save the natural tooth whenever possible.

If you’re experiencing any tooth discomfort or pain, contact Creative Dental promptly so we can diagnose the problem and protect the health of your smile.